I remember watching the news in December. Margaret Keenan in Coventry England was the first person to be given the COVID vaccine. I marvelled at how in a little over a few months a vaccine had been developed and was ready to be given to people. I know laboratories rushed to get the vaccine developed, tested, produced, and ready to give out to people. It amazed me how it happened so fast.
Eventually the vaccine came to Canada and then to Alberta. We watched as people in nursing homes were the first to get their shots. Then we watched as people over 75 were able to get their vaccines. Finally people over 65 and those over 50 with First Nations heritage were able to get their shot. I got mine on Saturday.
Many people will resist getting the vaccine. Anti-vaxxers have got a lot of press over the past 15 years or so. Led by actress Jenny McCarthy, who blames vaccines for her sons autism despite numerous scientific reports to the contrary, you hear people saying that they will not get vaccinated. They don't have the proof that they work. They are not sure what is in the vaccine. They wonder if vaccines will harm a person's future immunity to disease. They just don't trust scientists.
I guess there has always has been those who doubt scientists. There have always been those people who don't trust those who are more educated. They doubt those who are book learned. In this day and age of Trumpism and Q Theory, I think anti-science thinkers like Ms. McCarthy have an audience telling people to doubt. But I am glad that when I was little I got my smallpox, polio, and other vaccines. Although the polio crisis had mostly passed, two children from my school, who lived for a number of years in Amish country in Pennsylvania before coming to Saskatchewan, had contracted polio as toddlers. I remember as they struggled to walk and climb stairs. It was sad to know that for as long as they lived, they would face these struggles. So I early on learned the value of vaccines.
I had no doubts as I got my vaccine on Saturday. I knew it had been thoroughly tested. I knew it would at least lessen the impact of COVID should I catch it. I knew that it would help me. I have also been lucky enough to get an education. I have learned from experts and books and learned not to fear them. Yes some things I learned as a child have later been disproven, but to me that just shows that science is alive and continually seeking new discoveries. Doubt, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. It pushes us to make sure that our discoveries can be proven. However, doubt just because we don't trust the experts is not a good thing. It discredits study, knowledge, history, facts, and a myriad of other things. I know I have been lucky enough to inherit a treasure trove of knowledge from the past. I know society will move forward as we use that knowledge to improve the lives of many. Blessings
